Sterling Shepard: Oklahoma WR 2016 NFL Draft scouting report
2016 NFL Draft: Scouting report for Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Sterling Shepard, one of the best seniors in his class. Can he be a first round draft pick?
Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Sterling Shepard opened eyes at the Senior Bowl, but he wouldn’t have received an invitation there if it weren’t for a big season in his fourth and final year of college eligibility. Shepard was phenomenal this past season, catching 86 passes for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns on Oklahoma’s explosive offensive attack.
He now enters the 2016 NFL Draft discussion as one of the top senior receivers and one of the best at his position overall in the class. What does he bring to the table? What does he look like as a player? How does his game translate to the next level?
Let’s examine a little more closely…
At A Glance
Name: Sterling Shepard
Ht: 5’10”
Wt: 193 pounds
Class: Senior
Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK
2015 Key Statistics
86 receptions, 1,288 yards, 11 touchdowns, 14.98 YPC
Prospect Video
Translatable Traits
1. Speed
When you watch Shepard play, you see defensive backs spend a lot of time 10 yards off the line of scrimmage because you have to respect his deep speed. They say that big things come in small packages, and that’s especially true with Shepard. He is a threat with his speed from anywhere on the field, and I’ll show you some evidence of that…
There are countless examples of how Shepard has been able to beat defensive backs with his speed over the course of his career at Oklahoma. He was an impact player from the very start because of it. He was beating players badly at Senior Bowl practices with his speed.
When you get to the NFL, especially if you’re a smaller receiver, you need to get advantages in other ways. Starting with an 8-10 yard cushion is a pretty decent advantage.
2. Quickness
Our old pal Jonah Tuls put out this vine at the beginning of February to demonstrate just how dominant this trait can be for Shepard moving forward…
As the kids are saying…”Whewwww…” Shepard’s quickness is probably his best trait. He can work defensive backs from any receiver position, inside and out, and his compact frame moves around in such a way that DBs really have a tough time keeping up with him on a consistent basis.
3. Ability to make tough catches
What I love about Shepard is he doesn’t let his size become his game. He plays bigger than his 5’10” frame should actually allow, and that’s sort of en vogue in today’s NFL. Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders immediately come to mind when you think about modern players who are bucking the trend of smaller receivers not being able to play bigger than their listed size, but the name Steve Smith also comes to mind.
Because of his ability to make tough catches, Shepard is trusted by his quarterback to make plays like these:
Bottom Line
Shepard is a player who might struggle with press coverage at the NFL level, but he’s the type of guy that if he can get a clean release at the line of scrimmage, he is going to absolutely burn you all day. He has speed, quickness, and the ability to make tough catches and I think this is a player that can come in and make an immediate impact on an NFL roster because of those abilities.
Frankly, I don’t see many issues with his game. There is always a refining process that needs to happen, especially with young wide receivers. That being said, Shepard looks NFL-ready and like the type of player who is going to be drafted lower than he should because he’s not 6’3″.